Yarra Valley : pinot noir ciselé et chardonnay tendu
13 bouteilles, du pinot noir de la vallée au cabernet de Yarra YeringAn hour's drive east of Melbourne, the vines climb from the banks of a river up to wooded hillsides. The air stays cool all summer, night falls quickly, the harvest comes late. This corner of Victoria gives perfumed reds and straight whites, the opposite of the sun-baked wines of the warm South.
Two houses carry the selection. Yarra Yering, settled at Gruyere since 1969, runs through its numbered blends and its single-vineyard cuvées. Innocent Bystander opens the list with a trio of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Shiraz, at a contained price.
Yarra Yering - Chardonnay 2020
An Australian Chardonnay of great precision, where freshness, mineral tension and elegance come together to reveal all the finesse of the Yarra Valley's cool terroirs.
Yarra Yering - Underhill Shiraz 2017
A refined and spicy expression of Shiraz from the Yarra Valley, combining freshness, depth and length.
Yarra Yering - Pinot Noir 2018
A Pinot Noir from a cool climate combining aromatic finesse, silky texture and great precision on the palate.
Innocent Bystander - Chardonnay 2021
An Australian Chardonnay from a cool climate, combining precise fruit, vibrant freshness and measured elegance.
Innocent Bystander - Pinot Noir 2020
An elegant and juicy Pinot Noir from Yarra Valley, driven by freshness and aromatic finesse.
Yarra Yering - Warramate Pinot Noir 2021
A Pinot Noir from the Yarra Valley combining aromatic finesse, freshness and elegant texture.
Yarra Yering - Agincourt Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
A Yarra Valley cabernet combining freshness, aromatic precision and elegant structure.
Yarra Yering - Dry Red N°3 2019
A red from the Yarra Valley combining freshness, spice and fine texture, the elegant signature of Yarra Yering.
Yarra Yering - Dry Red N°1 2019
A great Bordeaux blend from the Yarra Valley, combining freshness, precision and aromatic depth.
Innocent Bystander - Syrah 2019
A juicy and spicy Australian Syrah, carried by the freshness of the Yarra Valley.
Yarra Yering - Carrodus Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
A highly precise Cabernet Sauvignon from the Yarra Valley, combining aromatic intensity, freshness and fine texture.
Yarra Yering - Warramate Chardonnay 2020
A precise and elegant Chardonnay from the Yarra Valley, where freshness, fruit finesse and controlled oak are harmoniously balanced.
Yarra Yering - Carrodus Shiraz 2018
A Shiraz from the Yarra Valley of great finesse, combining aromatic intensity, freshness and depth of texture
The sectors, from the lowest to the highest
The valley works on two levels. Below, along the river, grey clay loams and ancient gravels ripen the Bordeaux grape varieties and Shiraz. Higher up, towards the south-east, the red volcanic soils of the Upper Yarra delay the harvest and sharpen the whites.
| Le secteur | Altitude et sol | Le cépage qui domine | Ce que donne le verre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gruyere, au pied du WarramateYarra Yering | 80 à 150 m, limons argileux gris mêlés de graviers anciens | Cabernet sauvignon | Cassis et cèdre, tanins droits, longue allonge |
| Coldstream et la plaine de la rivièreInnocent Bystander | 60 à 150 m, alluvions et limons gris sur argile | Pinot noir | Cerise juteuse, bouche souple, fruit immédiat |
| Yarra Glen et Dixons Creek, au nord | 100 à 200 m, argiles rouges, versants largement ouverts | Shiraz | Fruit noir mûr, poivre, tanins enveloppés |
| Steels Creek et Healesville | 120 à 250 m, sols bruns sur socle ancien | Pinot noir | Parfum floral, acidité franche, corps moyen |
| Collines du Warramate, versant nordYarra Yering | 180 à 300 m, pentes drainantes, nuits fraîches | Pinot noir et chardonnay | Fruit rouge tendu, tanins fins, texture serrée |
| Seville et Woori Yallock, Upper Yarra | 250 à 350 m, terres rouges volcaniques profondes | Chardonnay | Citron et craie, finale saline, alcool modéré |
| Gladysdale et Hoddles Creek, hauts de vallée | 300 à 400 m, sols volcaniques, vendange tardive | Chardonnay | Acidité vive, bouche linéaire, matière fine |
The valley's two core grape varieties can be followed from one country to the next on the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay pages. To come in at the bottom of the list, the Innocent Bystander Chardonnay opens the range at €22.10 a bottle, by the case of 6.
The Yarra Yering cuvées, from number to vineyard
Bailey Carrodus planted Bordeaux and Rhône grape varieties here when his neighbours were choosing Pinot Noir. His blends carry a number rather than a grape name, while the single-plot selections carry the name of a vineyard or of the founder. Here is the complete reading, from the entry price to the bottle for keeping.
| La cuvée | L'encépagement | Le profil | Prix à la bouteille |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warramate Pinot Noir 2021Coteaux du Warramate | Pinot noir | Extraction retenue, fruit rouge frais, tanins fins | 33,80 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6 |
| Agincourt Cabernet Sauvignon 2017Parcelles d'Agincourt | 72 % cabernet sauvignon, 28 % malbec | Cassis et violette, graphite, structure élancée | 75 € la bouteille, par lot de 2 |
| Pinot Noir 2018Blocs historiques du domaine | Pinot noir | Texture soyeuse, malolactique en barrique, grande précision | 75 € la bouteille, par lot de 2 |
| Chardonnay 2020Pente nord du Warramate | Chardonnay | Pressurage en grappes entières, levures indigènes, tension citronnée | 76 € la bouteille, par lot de 2 |
| Dry Red N°3 2019Inspiration rhodanienne | 95 % shiraz, 3 % viognier, 2 % marsanne | Épices et fleur, fruit tendu, finesse de texture | 79 € la bouteille, par lot de 2 |
| Underhill Shiraz 2017Vignoble Underhill | Shiraz | Cuve ouverte et pigeage manuel, poivre, profondeur | 79,80 € la bouteille, par lot de 2 |
| Dry Red N°1 2019Inspiration bordelaise | 73 % cabernet sauvignon, 18 % merlot, 5 % malbec, 4 % petit verdot | Fruit noir précis, trame serrée, garde longue | 99 € la bouteille, par lot de 2 |
| Carrodus Shiraz 2018Sélection parcellaire, vendange manuelle | Shiraz | Intensité aromatique, texture profonde, finale fraîche | 159 € la bouteille, à l'unité |
| Carrodus Cabernet Sauvignon 2017Among the oldest blocks in the valley | Cabernet sauvignon | Macération prolongée, tanins fins, longueur remarquable | 219 € la bouteille, à l'unité |
Innocent Bystander holds the other end of the list, with a Pinot Noir, a Chardonnay and a Syrah from the valley at €22.10 a bottle, by the case of 6. The king grape of the numbered blends can be found elsewhere in the world on the Cabernet Sauvignon page, and the Rhône version on the Syrah page.
Where to start in the valley
Ways in for every mood, from the midweek glass to the birthday bottle.
Ouvrir la carte par un blanc
Fermentation en cuve inox et élevage sur lies fines : fruit précis, acidité vibrante, douze degrés et demi. Le blanc de semaine par excellence.
Innocent Bystander Chardonnay 2021 · 22,10 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Goûter le pinot noir de la région
Une part de grappes entières, une extraction douce : cerise fraîche, texture juteuse, finale nette. Un rouge léger à servir autour de quinze degrés.
Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir 2020 · 22,10 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Comprendre le shiraz de climat frais
Same grape variety as in the Barossa, another face: juicy fruit, fine spice, a tight palate. Worth tasting against a red from the warm South to measure the gap.
Innocent Bystander Syrah 2019 · 22,10 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Monter d'un cran sur le pinot
Coteaux drainés du Warramate, récolte manuelle, macération conduite en douceur. Plus de parfum, plus de tenue, une bouteille de dimanche.
Yarra Yering Warramate Pinot Noir 2021 · 33,80 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Le blanc de garde du domaine
Whole-bunch pressing, French oak barrels of which thirty per cent new, malolactic set aside to keep the tension. Ten years of potential.
Yarra Yering Chardonnay 2020 · 76 € la bouteille, par lot de 2Un assemblage bordelais austral
Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot vinified separately then aged in barrique. The house signature, for a cut of beef.
Yarra Yering Dry Red N°1 2019 · 99 € la bouteille, par lot de 2Offrir un grand cabernet du bout du monde
The estate's oldest blocks, extended maceration, patient ageing. A cellar bottle, to open for a fine table.
Yarra Yering Carrodus Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 · 219 € la bouteille, à l'unitéVoir l'autre visage du pays
North of Adelaide, the heat gives a dense, candied Shiraz, on ungrafted vines. The exact counterpoint to this cool valley.
Page du rayon · Barossa et Eden Valley
La vallée qui a perdu sa vigne puis l'a replantée
The vine arrives here in 1838, at the Yering estate, and the valley soon supplies the best bottles of the colony of Victoria, medalled as far away as Paris. Then taste changes: the British market calls for fortified wines, high in alcohol, which this cool climate struggles to ripen. Owners pull up their vines, dairy farming takes over the hillsides, and the last harvest falls in the early 1920s.
Forty years later, doctors and academics from Melbourne buy up plots to replant. Bailey Carrodus sets up Yarra Yering at Gruyere in 1969 and chooses Bordeaux and Rhône grape varieties from the outset. The valley now counts more than a hundred estates, once again the benchmark for Australia's cool climates.
Comment on choisit
On this range we taste before we list, and we look for the same thing in a white as in a red: tension. The fruit has to stay clean, the wood has to be forgotten, the finish has to hold straight. We then follow the houses that harvest by hand and keep their ageing measured, to let the hillside speak rather than the barrel.
L'équipe du Baroudeur du Vin
Ce qu'on nous demande sur la Yarra Valley
Pourquoi ces bouteilles partent-elles par lot ou par caisse ?
The Australian estates we follow ship their cuvées in full cases, and keeping that packaging holds the price per bottle down. The price shown on each listing is always the bottle price, with the sales format right beside it. The estate's two Carrodus cuvées, for their part, are still offered singly.
Are Shiraz and Syrah the same grape variety?
Yes, one grape under two names. Australia kept the spelling shiraz received in the 19th century, France writes syrah. The word above all announces a style: shiraz suggests the sun-baked version of the warm South, syrah the peppery version of cool climates, the one found in this valley. Both are gathered on the Syrah page.
Quelle différence entre le bas et le haut de la vallée ?
Altitude and soil. Along the river, between 60 and 200 metres, the grey clay loams and the gravels ripen Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The Upper Yarra climbs towards 400 metres on red volcanic soils: a later harvest, brisker acidity, and Chardonnay and Pinot Noir find their best ground there.
What do the numbers on the Dry Red cuvées mean?
They point to a family of blends rather than to a grape variety. The Dry Red No. 1 follows the Bordeaux model, with 73% Cabernet Sauvignon rounded out with Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The Dry Red No. 3 offered here blends 95% Shiraz with a touch of Viognier and Marsanne, in the manner of the northern Rhône.
Le cabernet sauvignon réussit-il en climat frais ?
It gains in precision. On the gravels of Gruyere, ripening stretches into autumn and the grapes keep their acidity: the wine comes out straighter, more perfumed, with blackcurrant, violet and a thread of graphite. Expect fine ageing potential, ten years and more for the estate's cuvées.
Which Pinot Noir to start with?
Start with the one from Innocent Bystander, at €22.10 a bottle by the case of 6: juicy fruit, supple texture, it sets the tone of the region. Then move on to Yarra Yering's Warramate Pinot Noir, at €33.80 a bottle, to measure what a well-exposed hillside brings.
Combien de temps se gardent ces vins ?
The Innocent Bystander cuvées are for drinking in their first five years, on the fruit. The numbered blends and the Warramate Pinot Noir hold five to ten years. The estate's Chardonnay, the Underhill Shiraz and the two Carrodus wines pass the decade and then gain in spice, truffle and waxy notes.
À quelle température servir ces bouteilles ?
Pinot Noir is served cool, around 15 °C, in a wide glass that lets the perfume rise. The Shiraz and the Bordeaux blends prefer 16 to 17 °C, with half an hour in a decanter on young vintages. The Chardonnays are better out of the cold, around 11 to 12 °C.
Which dishes go with the wines of this valley?
Pinot Noir goes with roast duck, grilled salmon and mushrooms. Cool-climate Syrah calls for peppery charcuterie or lamb with herbs. The Bordeaux blends ask for a cut of beef or a rack of veal. Taut Chardonnay sits well with poultry in a cream sauce, scallops or a fresh cheese.